The cheeseburgers from New York City's Shake Shack are so beloved by burger aficionados that even 12-hour Manhattan visits demand a wait in the Shack's imposing line. One burger lover researched and reverse-engineered the burger's basics for making at home.

Serious Eats guest writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is an obvious fan of the Shack's signature creation. He took the time to actually examine his burger before devouring it, then ask foodie friends and even a Shake Shack manager about the components he was unsure of. He demonstrates the "smash and scrape technique" in a stove-stop skillet, and gets scientific about what kind of beef mixture goes into a Shack patty:

According to Adam's sources, the meat is a 50:25:25 blend of sirloin, chuck, and brisket. On the other hand, according to Ozersky, the mixture is actually mostly brisket, with chuck and short rib mixed in.

I did a side-by-side comparison of the two purported blends next to a Shack Burger, and found that Adam's mix is closer in flavor, offering the right level of tenderness from the sirloin, rich beef flavor from the chuck, and slight sour/metallic notes from the brisket.

If the higher potential for E. Coli contamination and single-source quality concerns aren't enough for you to take up grinding your own meat for hamburgers, this opportunity might just tip the scales.